1. Agni Natchathiram Sets in but Chennai Sees Dip in Temperature
There was a slight dip in day temperature in the city on the first day of the peak summer season, known as Agni Natchathiram. However, several interior areas were in the grip of heat wave conditions and the maximum temperature crossed the 40-degree Celsius mark by Saturday afternoon.
Weather stations in Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 38.8 degree Celsius and 39.6 degree Celsius respectively, nearly 3 degree Celsius above normal for the period. But the weather was slightly better in the city and the suburbs compared to Friday, when temperatures soared to 40 degree Celsius. Normally, the period between 4 May and 28 May is considered to be peak summer season and is locally referred to as Agni Natchathiram or Kathri.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Rave Party Busted Near Pollachi, 165 Youth Detained as Cops Seize Drugs
In the early hours of Saturday, a Police team from Anaimalai detained as many as 165 youngsters for using drugs at a rave party hosted at Agri Nest, a resort near Sethumadai near Pollachi in Coimbatore. The police confiscated ganja, MDMA, cocaine, hashish and banned sedative tablets from the venue.
It was also found that the private resort, located in the midst of a coconut farm, was functioning without permission following which the resort owner, 45-year-old Jai Ganesh and three others were arrested. Revenue Department officials later sealed the property. The arrested group was made up of students from Coimbatore, most of whom hailed from Kerala.
(Source: The News Minute)
3. Madras University Prof Shows the Way as Anti-Cancer Compounds from Mushrooms Get Patent
Globally, millions of dollars are being spent on cancer research and for decades, scientists have been gathering information on bio-active compounds exhibiting anti-cancer properties from different sources. In India, for the first time, a patent has been issued for extracting anti-cancer compounds from a wild mushroom variety found in Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu.
The inventor is a retired Madras University professor Venkatesan Kaviyarasan and his PhD student J Manjunathan. The university had applied for the patent in 2012 and after rigorous scrutiny, got it on 11 March this year.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
4. Around 23,000 Take NEET in Chennai
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), went off relatively smoothly in the city on Sunday. According to a release from the agency, around 23,000 medical aspirants took the countrywide test at 31 centres here.
The exam has been a contentious issue in the State following the suicide of Anitha, who was unable to crack it in 2017. Incidents of stringent frisking flared tempers when the test was conducted last year. However, the smooth exam process this year, suggests candidates and parents are becoming accustomed to the exam.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. BJP ‘Misleading’ People over Rahul's Citizenship Issue: TNCC
The Congress in Tamil Nadu alleged BJP was trying to mislead people by raising the citizenship issue of its party president Rahul Gandhi, as it anticipated defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. TNCC president K S Azhagiri said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was changing his political stance, sensing fear and unnecessarily raising the issue about Rahul Gandhi and his citizenship.
The TNCC chief exuded confidence that the Congress would win substantial number of seats and form the government at the Centre.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
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